Gluten Hates Me

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Gluten is Stupid…and so am I

Tuesday night was Parrish’s night to cook, and on the menu: Mushroom Polenta. Parrish had bought Bob’s Red Mill Corn Grits (polenta). It wasn’t gluten free, and he asked me to read the ingredients before he started cooking. There was only one ingredient: corn. Underneath the ingredient list: Made in a facility that processes wheat. I told Parrish it was fine, and he cooked a delicious meal. Well, as it turns out, it was not fine. NO BUENO.

I was so mad at myself. In all honesty friends, I walk the “made in a facility” grey line a lot. I’m not that strict on myself all the time. I’m gluten free for sure, but I don’t pay close attention to possible contamination. Some days it’s hard enough not to eat the obvious gluten, avoiding the hidden gluten seems unbearable. I already feel like a high-maintenance bother to my family and friends. So I did what any food blogger would do when angry, I tweeted about it :) And the Gluten Free Insider tweeted me this video, which really just solidifies why gluten free facilities are so important!

Sweet music :) This whole incident also reminded me of the night I ate some tortilla chips that should have been okay, but certainly were not. One visit to the company’s website showed me that they had a brand new chip just introduced, made with whole wheat! Yeah…no bueno. Contamination is definitely real.

So yesterday I continued to pay the price for my mistake, so I gave my tummy a special treat:

14 comments:

I'm totally the same way and that video really sent shock waves down my spine. I accidently ate some non-gluten free oatmeal the other day... my stomach was mad at me for days.

And I totally agree, feeling like a burden is the best way to put it. I hate talking about what I can and cannot eat constantly. I always wonder if my family and friends really care and if they think I'm making this all up to get some sort of attention. All because they have never heard of someone with this ailment.

I watched the video... Yikes. I hadn't given much thought to how much wheat is sticking to the innards of these machines.

I can relate to feeling high maintenance. I only JUST went gluten free in December (wheat products give me massive headaches that border on migraines, as well as chest pain). In April, we're supposed to take a big trip to see our entire family, and I'm nervous about telling everyone about what I CAN'T eat and essentially forcing them to alter their plans/menus to mesh with mine (I suppose I could just cook my own meals, or make the meals for everyone while I'm there).

I actually did have someone recently try to tell me that it was all in my head - that I was just making it up. :-P I'm afraid my family will feed me the same line.

Sorry to hear that you got sick! I hope you feel better. Getting cross contamination is not fun! We feel the same way about being a burden to others, it is hard for sure because we have a long list of things we try to avoid! It takes time to get comfortable with telling others about your allergies, etc. it took my family awhile to truly understand. Some of our friends still do not get it! Hopefully over time that will all change. ;)

hey marlow! sorry to hear you're sick... thanks for sharing that video. being type 1 diabetic, i developed celiac without any symptoms, my new endocrinologist tested for it. i still don't have symptoms, so i never know if i've been glutened or not (both a blessing and a curse). i usually will eat products that are processed on shared equipment. i had no idea. will definitely be avoiding those things now. hope you are feeling better! (love your new belt, too! jeal-ous!)

The ND I work with gave me a sample of some enzymes that target 'hidden' gluten & dairy proteins - so I try to remember to take one of those before I go 'out' to eat, just in case. I went GF last summer with my dau & her family, & have lost close to 20 # (that post 50 weight that I couldn't seem to loose!!) & don't even WANT to eat gluten - have also tended to be less diligent about 'processed on' ...Last weekend at our Sat Market, I was offered a scone (not GF) by a baker, & when I told her no thanks (& why) she said "Oh, I just found out I'm allergic to wheat" (pause) "I haven't DONE anything about it yet ..." (& she's surrounding herself with wheat/gluten containing flour!!!) & the belt - YES! Georgeous!

OH - & I pretty much avoid soy - it depresses the thyroid, & I need the energy!! I have been using coconut oil & milk & flakes & flour since the spring, & lost the first 5# just shifting to OV Coconut oil for all my cooking - I use olive raw, & avoid all the others (esp. soy, canola & corn, which are GM if they're not OG, & with the long chain fats, go rancid as soon as we eat them - bad!!) Again, soy sneaks into so much stuff, so I get some, but not intentionally.

Oh, yikes! I understand completely; I feel like choosing things only 'certified gluten-free' or 'made in a gluten-free facility' would limit me so much more...but I'm not even talking prepared foods, I'm talking flour and other baking supplies. But I have a long list of things I know I can't eat, even though they are gluten-free, but because of the way they are processed. Now, I'm going to go watch that video you posted...!

I have to echo the other comments you and others made here. I've found the hardest folks to deal with regarding my dietary needs are the people with whom I work. One coworker said it was just a choice I'm making -- no different than when she decides to eat just fruits and vegetables for weeks at a time.

SOOOOO not the same thing, but not worth continuing to waste my breath to try to educate.

Love that belt too. Have you found a whole bunch of outfits to wear it with already?

Hi! I just love your blog and was very sorry to see that you felt so yucky after eating our conventional corn grits. I was wondering if we could send you some of our new Gluten Free Corn Grits to try. These are processed in our gluten free facility and tested to be sure they have no gluten... unlike our conventional corn grits. If you'd like to give them a try, please email me at cassidy at bobsredmill.com